1.1 What
is the purpose of this chapter? This chapter establishes policy and provides guidance to our
employees for protecting, restoring, and enhancing air quality on U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (Service) lands.

1.2 What
is the policy? Proper management of air quality is vital to protecting and
maintaining the Nation's fish and wildlife resources.

A. The Clean Air Act requires the Service, as a Federal Land
Management agency, to preserve, protect, and enhance air quality and air
quality-related values on our lands. (See section 1.4F for more information
about Federal Land Managers).

B. We do this by working with others to monitor air quality
changes and to encourage use of cleaner control technologies to limit air
pollution effects on Service lands. In most cases, this involves reviewing
State (and tribal) implementation plans and Prevention of Significant
Deterioration permit applications related to projects that might affect air
quality. (See section
1.6 for
more information about the other agencies that the Service works with to
achieve its air quality protection responsibilities.)

A. Air
Quality Related Value (AQRV): An
AQRV is a resource identified by the Federal Land Manager (FLM) for one or
more Federal areas that may be adversely affected by a change in air quality.
The resource may include visibility or a specific scenic, cultural, physical,
biological, ecological, or recreational resource identified by the FLM for a
particular area.

B.
Adverse Impact on AQRV: An
adverse impact on an AQRV is an unacceptable effect identified by an FLM that
results from current, or would result from predicted, deterioration of air
quality in a Federal Class I or Class II area (also see sections 1.4D
and E). An FLM must
make a determination of unacceptable effect on a case-by-case basis for each
area taking into account existing air quality conditions. The FLM bases the
determination on a demonstration that the current or predicted deterioration
of air quality will cause or contribute to:

(1) A diminishment of the area's
national significance,

(2) Impairment of the structure and
functioning of the area's ecosystem, or

(3) Impairment of the quality of the
visitor experience in the area.

C.
Adverse Impact on Visibility: An
adverse impact on visibility is an impairment that interferes with the
management, protection, preservation, or enjoyment of a visitor's visual
experience of a Federal Class I or Class II area. An FLM must make this determination
on a case-by-case basis taking into account the geographic extent, intensity,
duration, frequency, and time of visibility impairments, and how these
factors correlate with:

(1) Times when visitors use the Class I
area, and

(2) The frequency and timing of natural
conditions that reduce visibility.

D.
Class I Area: A Class I area is a Clean Air Act categorization of
land that requires the highest level of protection from air pollutants.

(1) Class I areas include the following
areas that were in existence as of August 7, 1977:

(a) National parks over 6,000 acres,

(b) National wilderness areas and
national memorial parks over 5,000 acres, and

(c) International parks.

(2) There are 158 Class I areas. We are
responsible for managing air quality in 21 of these areas.

(3) All Service-managed Class I areas
are wilderness areas. These Service-managed Class I areas are identified in
the listing of National Wildlife Refuge System Designated Wilderness Areas
found in Exhibit 1 of chapter 610 FW 1 of the Service Manual.

E. Class
II Area: Class II
areas require somewhat less stringent protection from air pollution damage
than Class I areas. All Service-managed lands that are not Class I areas are
Class II areas.

F.
Federal Land Manager (FLM): The
Clean Air Act requires Federal agencies with direct responsibility for
managing lands to take responsibility for protecting air quality-related
values (including visibility) of those lands. The Act gives the Secretary of
the Interior this authority, and the Secretary delegates it to the Assistant
Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks (see 40 CFR 51.166(b)(24) and the Clean Air Act 165(d)(2)(B)).

G.
Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD): The Clean Air Act established the
PSD program to limit the amount of additional air pollution allowed in Class
I and Class II areas. The permitting authority for PSD programs is usually
the State agency, but may also be a local or tribal agency or the EPA.

(1) Federal and State regulations
require the permitting authority to notify the FLM if emissions from a
proposed project may impact a Class I area.

(2) After we and any other affected
agencies review the proposed project and the permitting authority holds a
period of public comment, the permitting authority either issues or denies
the permit.

H.
Regional Haze: The
Clean Air Act established the Regional Haze program so that State, tribal,
and Federal agencies will work together to improve visibility in national
parks and wilderness areas, including the Class I wilderness areas we manage.

(1) Under this EPA-managed program,
States develop and implement air quality protection plans to reduce the
pollution that causes visibility impairment, with a goal of restoring natural
visibility conditions in Class I areas by the year 2064.

(2) The EPA Regional Haze rule requires
State and tribal agencies to consult with affected FLMs during the
development of their Regional Haze State (or tribal) Implementation Plans.

I. State
Implementation Plan (SIP): A
SIP is a detailed description of the programs a State will use to carry out
its responsibilities under the Clean Air Act. They are collections of the
regulations a State uses to reduce air pollution.

(1) The Clean Air Act requires that EPA
approve SIPs.

(2) States give members of the public
an opportunity to participate in the review and approval of SIPs.

1.5 Who
is responsible for air quality protection on Service lands?

A. The Assistant Secretary for Fish
and Wildlife and Parks:

(1) Serves as the FLM for Clean Air Act
actions for the Department of the Interior,

(2) Approves or declines to approve
Federal Land Managers’ Air Quality Related Values Work Group (FLAG) policy
affecting the Department’s bureaus (see section 1.7B), and

(3) Makes adverse impact determinations
considering the technical analyses and recommendation of the Service’s Branch
of Air Quality.

B. The Director:

(1) Approves or declines to approve
Service policy, and

(2) Is responsible for approving the
Service's Air Quality Management Plan.

C. The Chief,Branch of Air
Quality within the Division of Refuges:

(1) Is responsible for:

(a) Overall leadership and coordination
of the air quality management program, and

(b) Developing the Service’s Air
Quality Management Plan;

(2) On behalf of the FLM and Project
Leaders/Refuge Managers, reviews and prepares comments on PSD permit
applications, Environmental Impact Statements, Regional Haze Implementation
Plans, Climate Change issues, and planning documents that may affect air
quality on Service lands;

(3) Designs and implements special
studies and monitoring efforts necessary to respond to air quality issues and
allocates funding for these projects;

(4) Analyzes and comments on
legislative, regulatory, and policy development at the State and Federal
level;

(5) Works with the Branch of Fire Management
to ensure that we use best smoke management practices in our fire operations
and that State, local, and interagency Federal air quality and fire policies
are compatible;

(6) Advises Project Leaders/Refuge
Managers and other managers about air quality trends and issues pertinent to
their refuges. For significant issues, the Chief involves Project
Leaders/Refuge Managers and their Regional chain of command to develop
recommendations for adverse impacts to present to the Assistant Secretary for
Fish and Wildlife and Parks for decision; and

(b)
Air pollution threats to wilderness and the resources we protect, and

(c)
Monitoring data needs; and

(2)
Are responsible for participating in and overseeing air quality monitoring
operations.

1.6
Are there other agencies that the Service works with to achieve its air quality
protection responsibilities? Yes,
we work with the following agencies:

A. Other
Federal Land Management Agencies with Clean Air Act Class I area management
responsibilities:

(1)
National Park Service.
The National Park Service is also in the Department of the Interior and
reports to the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

(2)
Forest Service. The
Forest Service is in the Department of Agriculture.

B. EPA. EPA issues and enforces the
regulations that fulfill the mandates of the Clean Air Act.

C.
State, Local, and Tribal Agencies.
These agencies implement Clean Air Act programs, either through the Federal
law and regulations or through their own statutory authority and rules.

1.7
Where can I find more information about how the Service carries out its air
quality protection responsibilities?
You can find more information about our air quality program in:

A.
The Service’s Air Quality Management Plan. This plan:

(1) Describes how we manage air quality
now and plan to manage it in the future on refuge lands;

(2) Addresses our other
responsibilities for ensuring air quality, such as the needs of the
Endangered Species, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Contaminants,
and Fire programs; and

(3) Explains how our various programs
coordinate air quality activities.

B.The Federal Land Managers’ Air
Quality Related Values Work Group (FLAG) Report. The FLAG report provides
information on the standards and processes for ensuring consistency in managing
Class I Federal lands for air quality. This report is available on the Branch of Air Quality’s Web site.

(1) FLAG is an interdepartmental
workgroup composed of representatives from the Federal Land Management
agencies with Class I area management responsibilities.

(2) FLAG’s purpose is twofold:

(a) To develop a more consistent and
objective approach for the Federal Land Management agencies to evaluate air
pollution effects on public AQRVs in Class I areas. This includes a process
for identifying AQRVs and any potential adverse impacts, and

(b) To provide State permitting
authorities and potential permit applicants consistency on how to assess the
impacts of new and existing sources on AQRVs in Class I areas, especially for
reviewing the PSD air quality permit actions.

For information on the content of this chapter, contact the Branch
of Air Quality. For more information about this Web site, contact Krista
Bibb in the Division of Policy and Directives Management.